#starting a big project is spooky but I really want to and I will

[art]

Creator Spotlight: GDBee Art (@prinnay)

Geneva Bowers is inspired by the wonders of the natural world around us, and enjoys manipulating colors to create art full of mood and feelings.

Check out our interview with Geneva below!

How did you get started with art? Did you originally have a background in art?

I’m going to say yes because that’s all I’ve known how to do. It started because I wanted to draw better horses than my sister, and it just spiraled from there. People started asking me to draw things because they saw me drawing horses. I was like, well, I can draw things that aren’t horses, and then it was just kind of all I did. 

Have you ever had an art block? If so, how did you overcome it?

I have one right now! Honestly, with time, and I also collect art books; I think I have a couple hundred. If I really want to draw something, then I just flip through those and try to steal some ideas.

Which three famous artists (dead or alive) would you invite to your dinner party?

I mean, of course Van Gogh…I’m really inspired by Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, so I would invite Van Gogh, Monet, and Julie Dillon to a dinner party.

Have you ever wanted to dive into another medium before?

Yeah, actually, I currently am! I’m trying to do more traditional painting. I used to do a lot of acrylics, but I haven’t done it in years, and now I’m kind of bad at it. I’m trying to get into actual impressionistic art with oils and oil pastels. I’m like failing, but you know, you get there. Just fail until it looks presentable. 

If there is one thing you want your audience to remember about your work, what would it be?

I guess it’s more of a feeling. I create art because I’m inspired by things around me, like certain video games. For example, I have been inspired by a Japanese RPG called Chrono Cross on PlayStation 1. They make me feel a certain type of inspiration to create something, so that’s kind of like what I’m hoping to leave behind. 

Have any of your projects surprised you with their outcome?

Yeah! I did this Weapon Faerie series where I took three prompts: a weapon, a winged insect, and an herb, which I combined to make different characters. So, a faerie with a spiked club or a butterfly faerie with a katana. I made 13 of those, and they kind of took off! I wasn’t expecting that at all.

What is the hardest part of your process?

My whole art style is coloring, like the way it’s colored… but I hate the coloring process, haha. I like doing the color combos, but I don’t like the blending and shading. That takes like one-trillion years. It’s the part where I’m most likely to give up. You know how art kind of looks ugly before it looks good? I’m trying to trust that process. 

What do you wish you knew when you started creating art that you know now?

I guess one big thing would be knowing how to use lights and darks. When I do color, it is definitely colorful, but when you switch it to black and white, you see that everything’s the same tone of gray. I’ve learned that if you just use some brighter colors and some darker shades, you create a bigger impact in the end. So, now, when I paint something digital, I make it black and white for a moment to see where all the hues are, and if something is weirdly dark or not dark enough, I can change it.

Who on Tumblr inspires you and why?

Oh, @feefal definitely inspires me. She does a lot of spooky art.

[rheiple]

Sun wants to be your favorite.

Have you noticed? From the way he greets you with a really tight hug and a little twirl, unlike how he only gives his other friends a quick pat on their shoulder and a handshake at best. The way he like to help you with work whether it’d be passing out the tools you needed, reaching stuff you can’t reach at, or even giving you the emotional support you needed when you feel like you can’t complete a task at hand. Please, he’s practically giving you the puppy eyes waiting for your praises, whenever he gives you a gift he hand made, cause he believes that putting effort like hand made crafts is much more romantic than buying it. Not that he mind buying stuff for you that is! Whatever you need, he’ll give you all, because you’re his favorite human!

And when you do give him compliments and praises? Ohh you flatter him so much! Internally squealing like a school girl who gushes about their crush, it’s so bad that he’s been nagged at by Moon. He doesn’t care though, he’s just jealous that he’s our favorite!

He doesn’t really believe it, but when you gently cup his face to admire his blue eyes, his golden rays and his pearly white smile. You told him that he’s such a pretty boy? He practically melts because of how hot his circuits are! Oh don’t look at him, you’re making him blush!

But you know what he really really likes? Whenever it’s his turn to praise and compliment you, he gets to see you overheat! Your flushed cheeks, awkward smile not being used to such statements about you, and the way your pretty eyes dart around to look anywhere but him. Oohhh he can’t wait to just eat you up! Acting all shy like that, and you’ll get a hyper Sun not letting you out of his love bombing.

He really likes you, and you seem to like him too! So is he your favorite boy? He really really hopes so !

.

.

.

Moon is your favorite.

Oh, he’s not going to sit and hope that he’s your favorite. He knows he is your favorite. I mean, you wouldn’t go out of your way to be nice and be buddy buddy with him right? He found it cute that one time you were too shy to start up a conversation with him, thinking he’s not much of a talker. He really isn’t, he prefers to listen to your voice. But if you asked him, he’d talk and talk. Wanna hear about facts of the solar system? Or hear about that one time a kid took a dookie on Sun? Oh, he’s just joking Sunny boy, he’s not that mean to embarrass you to his favorite human. Do you want to hear a story? About the spooky rabbit lady who likes to kidnap bad children? Or a love story about a human… and a robot..

Hah, he doesn’t know what your talking about Starlight. It sounds familiar? Well, yes because it’s based on a book he read. What book? Uh, he’s actually gate keeping it. Sorry Star, the book was too good for him to share it. Him? Projecting his feelings on the story?

His gonna put you in naptime for that.

Ohh but don’t think he didn’t noticed the way your eyes shined with stars whenever he lifted something heavy to help you with your duties. Like what you see? You’re practically ogling at his physique. Not that he minds, he loves your undevided attention. You get excited and hype him up whenever he does the lifting. His face plate spins in glee thinking about being your big and strong man.

He likes really teasing you, he sees your flushed cheeks and hears your heart rate speeding up little by little. He gets the sudden urge to just pinch and pull your cheeks really hard.

Oh, but you always like to take revenge. Stroking his cheeks and looking at him like he’s the million dollars you’ve won at the lottery. Telling him how he’s such a handsome man. He might’ve grumbled, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t loved it. He’s just very flustered at your compliments. No Star, I’m hiding in my hat- hey don’t take it off of me!

He knows you never get mad at him whenever he steals shiny trinkets and presents it to you. You just really love how he really really loves you. You know you’re his favorite human, his actions have shown it… So it’d make sense that he’s also your favorite, when you reciprocate his love for you right?

I got the sudden energy to write this when I listened to the song called "Pretty boy" by Naethan Apollo. The song is such a banger I would recommend it to y'all.

[vind3miat0r]

project meridian loop theory

oohhh boy, we're back with me putting on a tinfoil hat and yapping about theories again

this is, of course, about the newest Project Meridian audio, so spoilers for that!!

(putting everything under the cut because theres a LOT)

JESUS CHRIST. okay. thats a lot. lots to unpack here mhm yep.

okay guys hear me out: Asset is stuck in a time or a simulation loop

bear with me im about to get REALLY nerdy with this BUT

Star Trek: The Next Generation, Season 5 Episode 18 — "Cause and Effect" is a time loop episode. the entire crew gets caught in a time loop for about 27 days (but they obviously dont realize this until theyre out of the loop) the loop always begins with Captain Picard's personal log, and always ends with the accidental destruction of the Enterprise brought on by their warp core exploding due to being damaged while attempting to get away from an incoming ship that lost control of its direction

throughout the episode, each time the loop resets, the crew experiences intense deja vu, brought on by the fact that theyre reliving the same day over and over. theyre able to predict small events that happen (what cards come next in a poker game, Beverly predicting Geordi coming into Sick Bay, etc)

AND in one iteration of the loop, the crew figures out that theyre IN a time loop, and devise a method to avoid getting hit by the previously mentioned ship, which would set off the chain reaction of the warp core exploding

they do this method by using big brain science time knowledge that im too tired to understand, but basically the motif of the number 3 starts showing up in the next loop reset, and when the Enterprise is once again faced with only two choices to get away from the incoming ship, Data realizes that the reoccurring 3s are connected to Commander Riker (who has three pips to signify his rank)

(for context, in every loop where the Enterprise gets destroyed, the Captain followed Data's plan of using the tractor beam to steer the incoming ship away from the Enterprise. Riker's plan was to depressurize the cargo bays) Data follows through with Riker's plan, and this time the Enterprise doesnt explode (yippee!!)

you might be thinking, "Vinn, you just explained the entire episode to us. what does that have to do with project meridian??"

well, using instances from "Cause and Effect," we can compare them to some instances that just happened in "Something's Wrong"

— the second phone call could be an outside attempt to break Asset from the time/simulation loop

— Asset knowing who the Solitaires are despite not having access to information on them could be from another loop where James told them who the Solitaires are, and Asset remembering

— the phone at the end could signify the end/restart of the loop

— Asset's uneasiness about the Meridian in the beginning of the audio and their want to "seek approval" before entering it ( could be brought on by them somewhat remembering whats happened in previous loops)

— the first phone call (the one James picks up), theres some spooky ooky ambience in the background (could be that the phone is a conduit to the "real" timeline/world and only Asset is able to pick up on that??)

— when Asset and James leave the first room and enter a new area, someone on the PA makes an announcement for the Deltas. this announcement glitches, but James doesnt seem to notice, as he continues talking (i cant quite make it out, but it almost sounds like someone else is saying something?) (again, it could be interference from outside of the loop attempting to reach Asset)

— when stepping out of the elevator, someone brings James "the latest simulation report." again, outside interference/echoes from a previous loop perhaps trying to signal to Asset that theyre stuck in a simulation

— phone at the end also as someone saying "pick up" or "wake up," didnt realize until someone pointed it out. its very faint, but its there (again, could be someone attempting to break Asset out of the loop)

one thing that i find interesting (thats not related to the loop theory) is that James says the force in the Meridian "diverts demons away" and "breaks human minds" when usually demons are allowed through the Meridian and humans just. die. then again, we have no idea when PM takes place, so it could be normal if this is like,,, a good number of years in the future

uhh hashtag yeah. im perfectly sane guys :3

[the-californicationist]

Cali's Kinktober: Day 08

Kinktober Masterlist ad vitam aeternam - "to eternal life" Johnny "Soap" MacTavish/141 x gn!reader Kinks > mind control, vampires, blood-sucking Full tags on AO3 - MDNI - Read at your own risk.

The 141 vampire coven is terrorizing tiny villages in Northumberland, but you work nights and you really need this job. When a cute guy named Johnny offers to walk you home, you feel grateful for the free security. Unfortunately, you start feeling drowsy and confused. Where do you live, again? “It’s okay, bonnie. I’ll make sure you get there safe and sound.” 

No specific body traits or genitalia are mentioned. Gender neutral pronouns used. The only gendered nicknames are when Soap refers to the reader as "bonnie" or "hen" but no use of "lass" or "girl".

This work trip had definitely taken a turn. You’d expected to be at the north edge of England for about three weeks, but it was going on three months for this project with no end in sight. You were staying close to Northumberland National Park, helping map an updated migratory route for the bat colony that roosted on The Sill of Hadrian’s Wall. However, as animals often do, the bats made their own schedule for when they wanted to appear, and you hadn’t collected nearly enough data to feed to the tracker model. 

But, you weren’t complaining too loudly. Your cottage was located in a barely-there village called Elishaw, and it was as romantic as it could be. The only problem was that, after the evening sun set and the bats had all returned to their roosts, the closest place to get a pint was a three kilometer hike on a two lane road with no lights, signs, or footpaths. 

In the daytime, the view of the area was lovely. Rolling hills, black forests, and green sheep-dotted fields stretched out before you as far as the eye could see. Everyone who drove past you would wave, and you would wave back. It was lovely… when the sun was shining. But, now, as winter chased away the warmth of autumn, it brought grey clouds and a constantly setting sun, making the nights frigid and windy.

It was spooky the first time you’d gone at night, but now that you’d ripped off the proverbial bandage, the second time was no big deal. At this point, you’d been down to the Redesdale pub dozens of times, and you often walked alone, in the middle of the night, bundled up like an arctic explorer, drunker than you’d ever been.  

Tonight was one of those nights. 

“Are ye sure ye’ll be alright by yersel’, hen?” Thomas, the barkeep worried over you in his semi-local Berwickian accent.

“Yeah, Tom,” you smiled up at him, “I only had two pints. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be home before I know it.”

“There’s been talk of wild dogs takin’ to eatin’ the Kilpatrick’s sheep, Tom. ‘S not safe for a visitor to go alone, ye ken?” A man’s voice, Scottish instead of Northumbrian, piped up from the back of the bar. 

You hadn’t even realized there were other people with you and Tom. But, the grizzled barkeep smiled knowingly, 

“Ah, Johnny. Take ‘em back with ye, lad. Make sure ye get home safe and sound. I’ll worry the night away if ye dinnae go together.”

“No trouble, Tom. Headed that way, besides. C’mon, bonnie. Tha’s us, then,” Johnny paid for your tab and wrapped his arm around your shoulder, leading you out of the pub with a speed and ease that should have been alarming. 

But, you had to admit, it was nice to have an escort on your scary road for a change. 

Except… this wasn’t your road.

“Hey, I thought that was the way back there?” You pointed through the trees at the path you usually took, the one that was wide open and clearly visible, not the path through the dark forest.  

“Dinnae fash, yourself, bonnie. It’s a wee shortcut,” Johnny assured you. 

His smile was so easy to believe. The light that shone in his bright blue eyes was intoxicating, and his body was statuesque. He told you all about himself - the town he was from, where he went to school, how he was a sergeant in the RAF. It was fascinating. So thrilling, in fact, you came to your senses about thirty minutes into your trip, knowing you should be seeing landmarks, and yet you were even deeper in the woods than you’d been when you started. 

“You feelin’ alright, hen? Lookin’ a little puggled. Think you’ll make the trip, though. Just a bit further.”

“Where… um, where are… you… taking me?” Your words slurred together, and you felt like you were trapped between being awake and being asleep, knowing you couldn’t have drank enough to make you muddle your speech.

“Gonnae stop by my place for a moment,” Johnny pointed to a blackstone cairn that sat on the side of a hill, “Should only be a wee minute. Do ya wanna come in with me?”

When he asked you the last question, he made a point to make you meet his gaze, and when you did, his eyes invaded your mind. You felt as if you couldn’t look away, and the only word that could come out of your mouth was a yes. 

You didn’t want to go inside that creepy fucking cairn. There was no way this was actually his house. But, you followed him, your body putting one foot in front of the other without needing for your mind to be on board with the plan. 

“You ken,” he talked to you as he held your hand, “Tomorrow’s Samhain. Gonnae celebrate with a wee bonfire, maybe a few more drinks. Want me to tell my mates to set the table for one more?”

Again, your brain blanked out when you replied to him. Had you said yes again? What was happening to you?

Finally, you made it to the mouth of the cairn, and a crude wooden door blocked your entrance. Johnny pulled it open and held it for you, waving his hand in a ladies-first sort of sweep. You couldn’t help but obey. So, you walked into the dark stone hut, discovering that the inside was filled with flaming logs in a round well in the center and rows of lit candles surrounding the space. 

“Hey!” Johnny called out into the crude building, “We’ve got company, lads.”

Too quickly, three other men appeared in the room. You wanted to say that they walked or that they ran, but they didn’t. You could lie to yourself about that later, but you knew they had just suddenly fucking spawned there. Your body, however, failed to react in shock like you wanted to. 

They were gorgeous; just as handsome and well-muscled as Johnny, but their eyes seemed less kind. There was something predatory about their faces, especially the one with the beard. He seemed cold in a way that was beyond cruelty. It made you shiver more than the cold wind ever could. 

“Well done, Johnny,” the bearded one spoke, reaching out to stroke your cheek, “Such a pretty thing, hm?” 

You wanted to pull your face away from his touch, but your will was muted, your desire gone, and your sense of self-preservation completely absent from your mind. The only thing you could still do, it seemed, was speak to them. But, even then, it was hard to form the words. 

“Johnny asked me to come for dinner. I hope that I’m not intruding,” you went for politeness over screaming your bloody head off. No one would hear you all the way out here anyway. Maybe if you were nice to them, they’d let you leave.

“Not at all, love,” the bearded one said again, taking your coat from your shoulders and tossing it down on a chair. 

You felt Johnny’s lips begin to trail their way up your neck as he stood behind you. He was kissing you with a hot passion, his teeth dragging across your smooth flesh. Then, his hands reached around to grope your chest, fondling your nipples under your shirt, pinching them in his hands cruelly.

“How could you intrude?” The tall, Black man replied, his teeth straight and sharp and gleaming in the low light of the room, “Guests are always welcome here, especially when they smell as delicious as you do.” 

“Besides,” his gigantic, blond friend responded, “You’re not here for dinner, love. You are dinner.”

As you saw the fangs drop into the hollow of the blond’s mouth, you felt Johnny’s set on your neck. He bit down into you and began to suck from you, taking gulps of your hot, crimson blood down his throat. It felt orgasmic, but there was something so very wrong about it, too. A dying part of you was yelling at you to run, but that voice was muted by the urgency of your pleasure.

Then, panic welled up in your chest. Who were these men? How did you get here? You needed your phone, something, anything to call the emergency line and get the cops over here. 

Yet, you were motionless. Your brain felt like it had finally been washed away to a blank, empty slate. It was painful to be drained from your neck and wrists and, now, from your chest as the immense blond lifted your shirt to suckle from your flesh, biting into your nipple with his two, long fangs, and draining your life from you. But, you let him. You let all of them feed and fondle you. You were in their thrall, and there was no escape.

You felt tears roll down your cheeks as you realized you weren’t going home again. You were prey to a coven of vampires, and you’d be lucky if they just killed you quickly rather than prolonged your life. 

Johnny shoved his hand down the front of your pants and began to play with your sex, moaning when he found its warmth. He pulled his mouth away from his meal for a moment and asked a question to the man with the beard.

“Can we keep this one, sir? Tastes too damn good.”  

“Aye, Johnny,” his leader told him, lifting your chin with his thick finger, “The ritual’s tomorrow, and I know you’ve been a good lad. So, just this once, we can keep ‘em.”

[captainsophiestark]

Epiphany

Javi Rivera x Reader

Masterlist - Join My Taglist!

Written for Fictober 2024!

Fandom: Twisters

Day Two Prompt: "It's been a long time."

Summary: Javi's job bring him back into the same town as a sort-of-ex, but if he wants a chance at rekindling anything, he's going to have to answer for his decision to work for Riggs.

Word Count: 3,189

Category: Angst, Fluff

A/N: Happy spooky season everyone!

Putting work into an AI program without permission is illegal. You do not have my permission. Do not do it.

I grinned as I lined up my shot on the dartboard ahead of me, ignoring the heckling of my friends and a few new competitors we'd met at the bar. I was the undefeated champ at darts, both tonight and in general, and I hadn't gotten here by letting people get in my head.

I let out a breath, completely focused on the center ring, and sent the dart flying in one smooth motion.

Bullseye. As planned.

I turned to my friends with a grin, enjoying their chorus of groans. While I wasn't completely undefeated for all time, I was undefeated tonight, and I was frankly having the time of my life.

"Okay, there's got to be somebody in this bar who can beat you," teased one of my friends, throwing an arm over my shoulder and turning to scan the rest of the patrons who hadn't been roped into our competition yet.

"I bet I could give it a shot."

I turned at the sound of the voice to see a man I hadn't seen in years.

Javi Rivera and I had met while we were both studying at Muskogee State College almost six years ago. We'd hit it off, going quickly from friends to dating, and after only a couple months, I'd started to be able to see a future with him. And then, three of his friends died in a tornado while they were trying to test their PhD project and secure grant funding.

I'd done my best to be there for Javi, but we'd pretty quickly realized he needed some space--from chasing, from school, from Oklahoma. From everything. Including me.

It sucked to say goodbye to someone I loved, but at the same time, I got it. We'd parted on pretty good terms, deciding for both our hearts it would be best for the break to be clean. I'd thought about him a thousand times since then, clean break or no, but I hadn't seen him once. Now, he was standing before me in the dive bar just outside my hometown, apparently challenging me to darts.

"...Javi?" I managed, a smile tugging at my face despite the shock and disbelief. He grinned back at me, holding his arms out but not making any move to close the distance.

"Hey. It's good to see you."

I grinned, quickly closing the rest of the space between us to wrap Javi in a hug.

"It's good to see you too! What are you doing here? ...How are you doing?"

He stepped back with a smaller smile on his own face, running a hand through his hair before he met my eyes again.

"Better. A lot better than the last time you saw me, actually. I'm working with a team that's researching tornados, trying to get better data to better understand them and hopefully make everybody safer as a result. My team's just passing through the area on our way to chase a some big cells developing further West, and we're staying in town for the night. I was really hoping I'd find you here."

"You know, I do have a phone. And I haven't changed my number."

He grinned. "That was going to be Plan C, if Plan A of finding you here and Plan B of finding you at another bar didn't work out."

I just shook my head and laughed.

"You know, there's a lot I could say about that, but I think instead I'm gonna settle for kicking your ass in darts."

"Oh, bring it on. I was watching you, I think you've lost your edge since the last time I saw you. And I can tell you right now, I haven't. I've only gotten better."

"Sure you have, Rivera. Come on, put your money where your mouth is. You start us off."

"If you insist."

Javi leaned in close, hitting me with a charming smile as he took his half of the darts out of my hand, taking his time and letting his fingers linger over mine. For a split second, it was like I was back in grad school again, spending weekends blowing off steam and occasionally working on our project from the back table of a bar. Then, he pulled back, turning his attention to the dartboard again.

"Loser buys drinks," he called as he drew his arm back, then let the dart fly. He hit an 18, but not on any of the score-multiplying rings. I grinned.

"You're on."

****************

Javi and I spent most of the rest of the night together, trading blows in darts and just catching up with each other again. To my delight, it had been like no time had passed since we'd last seen each other. We immediately fell back into the same happy, comfortable routine we'd had for years, and my heart did a happy little flip in my chest every time Javi leaned into me with the smile I loved so much.

We stayed out at the bar together long after my friends had left, hovering at a back table together until they kicked us out. Javi had walked to the bar from his hotel, so I gave him a ride back, the two of us lingering as clearly neither of us wanted to leave. When Javi finally hopped out of the car, it was only after we'd made plans to get together the next day, depending on the tornado situation.

Luckily for Javi and I, the forecast the following morning looked very calm. Javi texted me early, and we made plans to get together for lunch. I was practically walking on air as I drove into town, parking and hopping out to wait for Javi before heading inside. I didn't want to get too far ahead of myself, but having Javi back in my life even for these twelve hours or so had been amazing. I couldn't stop thinking about him, and frankly, I didn't want to.

Unfortunately, my happy little bubble got momentarily popped by a Storm Par truck pulling into the lot. I frowned and narrowed my eyes. They'd shown up in the area recently, swooping in like vultures and taking advantage of tragedy in the community to make a profit. If they were heading into the restaurant for lunch, Javi and I might need to find somewhere more peaceful to hang out.

I glowered at the truck, trying to project as much malice and disapproval as possible. Then the door popped open, and my heart stopped in my chest.

Javi climbed out of the driver's seat. He had on a Storm Par button down. He grinned and waved at me as soon as he saw me, but I couldn't do more than stare back. What the fuck was he doing?

"Hey! Sorry I'm a little late, I had a meeting this morning-"

"With Riggs?"

The words slipped out before I could stop them. Javi stuttered a step, the smile on his face dimming a little as I crossed my arms. He came to a stop in front of me.

"I... what?"

"I think that's my line, Javi. What the hell are you doing? Why are you showing up here in Storm Par shit?"

"I told you I was chasing again-"

"You told me you were here researching tornados! Not conning grieving people out of their family homes!"

Javi took a step back, blinking like I'd physically slapped him across the face. I huffed, trying to get a hold of myself. I'd been almost shouting by the end of my speech, and I really didn't want to throw a scene in front of the restaurant.

"Listen, I get why you're mad," Javi started, holding up his hands like a peace offering. "But Riggs is funding research that's going to allow us to better understand how, why, and when tornados form, which will save lives. We're on our way to the most complete understanding of a tornado ever, and we never would've gotten here without Riggs investing and getting us this tech."

I'd started shaking my head after the second sentence, getting faster and faster until Javi finished speaking. I huffed a disbelieving laugh and took a half-step back towards my car.

"There are other ways to get grant money, Javi. Ways that don't include Riggs."

"Yeah, just ways that include risking everything going into an EF5 that got almost all of my best friends killed."

I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths. It had been a dream come true when Javi walked into the bar last night, but this was quickly turning into a nightmare. Hurt, anger, saddness, and disappointment formed their own little tornado in my chest, and I barely managed to keep my voice level as I met Javi's eyes again.

"I know what you went through when you lost your friends. I understand why you're making the choices you're making. But you know as well as I do that Riggs is taking advantage of people, actively hurting people in this community, and that all the data you bring him with your research is just going to make it easier for him to swoop in looking to make a profit after disasters, not bringing help before them."

"That's not what we're doing-"

"You might be able to convince yourself of that while you're riding around in your stupid trucks, but unlike you, I was born and raised here, and I never left. I know what's happening, I know the reputation your sponsor has earned for you, and frankly Javi? I want nothing to do with it. Any of it."

Javi huffed in surprise, then scowled.

"I take it to mean that includes me?"

I nodded, slowly at first, then faster and more confidently as I took a few more steps back.

"As long as you're going to keep enabling the vultures? Yeah, that does include you."

He huffed again, a humorless laugh, as he shook his head and shuffled around like he couldn't figure out how to react. It felt like a knife to my heart, but I didn't let myself hesitate before turning around and heading back to my car. I'd sat and cried with neighbors in the wake of tornados, trying to salvage anything we could in the wreckage, before polished looking guys in suits came in and way underpaid for properties, then left without lifting a finger to help a single living thing in the devastated area. If Javi was willing to be a part of that, then he was nothing like the man I'd known and loved before.

****************

I sighed, dropping an armful of books on the kitchen table. I still had a few things to bring up from the storm shelter, but I couldn't stop myself from sinking into the nearest chair. It had been a long few days.

Less than 48 hours after Javi and I had our fight, one of the worst tornados of the year had touched down much too close for comfort. It had done some significant damage to the next town over, although not nearly as bad as it could've been. Exactly what had happened was still a little unclear, but it had been a long time since one had come that close to me. I hadn't been expecting it to affect me, but my knees were actually feeling a little weak.

I took a few moment to focus on breathing deeply, then rallied myself to move the last of my supplies out of the storm shelter. I'd just made it to my feet again when a knock came at the door.

I sighed and honestly debated pretending I wasn't home. But, most likely, it was a neighbor coming to check in or share news from the tornado. I didn't want them to worry, and I probably wouldn't get away with pretending not to be here.

I made it to the door just after another knock came, slightly louder this time. I swung open the door without looking outside first, then froze halfway through the motion when I found Javi staring at me, standing on my doorstep with a six pack of beer held loosely in one hand.

"Thank god you answered. Listen, I'm sorry. You were right. Kate was right. Storm Par... Riggs..." he shook his head, apparently at a loss for words. His hair and clothes were a mess, back to the Javi I'd known in grad school instead of the perfectly-pressed Storm Par rep I'd seen a few days ago. More than just that, though, he looked frazzled. Offbalance, in a way I'd never seen before.

"Javi... are you okay?"

He ran a hand through his hair and shook his head.

"Did you hear about the big one?"

"...The tornado that just hit?" He nodded. "Yeah. I've only heard bits and pieces outside of the siren, but yeah. What happened? Is everybody... you said Kate's name earlier."

He quickly reassured me, getting halfway through reaching for my hand before pulling himself back.

"Kate's fine. I convinced her to come out here and help with research, but she almost-" Javi stopped short, closing his eyes for a long, long moment. I frowned, briefly considering what to do next, but it didn't take me long to reach a decision. Javi seemed to be implying he'd ditched Storm Par, but even if he hadn't, I still cared about him. And he clearly needed somebody right now.

"Javi. Why don't you come inside and sit down? Take a breath for a minute?"

He nodded, opening his eyes again and taking a slow, deep breath.

"Thanks."

"Sure thing."

I held the door open, and Javi didn't need me to show him where to go. We'd spent a good part of our relationship hanging out in this house, and it hadn't changed much since then. I followed Javi, letting him decide where he wanted to settle. Eventually, we ended up on the back porch, Javi settling into the bench swing where we'd watched more sunsets than I could count. He set the six pack down by his feet, and after a moment's consideration, I sat down next to him.

Javi didn't look at me as I joined him, his stare still a thousand yards out on the sun that had just started to approach the horizon. I gave him a few moments, then gently reached out to take his hand. His attention immediately snapped to me, his eyes wide with surprise. I gave him a soft smile.

"How long as it been since we spent an evening sitting out here?"

He huffed a laugh. "It's been a long time."

We shared a little smile, then after a moment, I sighed. Javi seemed calmer, at least slightly, and now I needed some answers.

"So... you wanna tell me what brought you here?"

"I came to apologize. You were right about Riggs, and about what's important. I want to be helping people, and it's a long story, but it became clear in the last few hours that I can't do that as long as I'm working with Riggs. I just wish I'd been able to figure it out earlier."

Javi shifted, taking my hand in his and shuffling a little closer to me. The apology was sweet, and I'd missed having moments like this with Javi, but his answer still had a lot of holes.

"I'm glad to hear you're done with Riggs- I mean, I'm assuming that's what you're saying?"

"Yes. Very much yes."

I smiled. "Okay. But maybe you should start a little further back on explaining what happened between now and the last time I saw you. Starting with why you failed to tell me Kate was in town."

"...In my defense, I was planning to tell you at lunch."

I couldn't hold back a snort.

"Fine. Depending on how good the rest of your explanation is, you get a pass on that."

Javi laughed. "Good. Alright, let me think about this..."

It took a while, but eventually Javi managed to walk me through his whole story. It was the serious catchup we'd been planning to have over lunch, but with the added beneift of a private moment together in one of our old favorite places. A lot had happened since Kate had come to town, and she'd had the same kind of fight with Javi as I had, but he'd come around and stepped up when it mattered.

"So, now we're done with Riggs. We're working on a pitch for investors back East right now, actually. Kate's going to present what we've got so far, and hopefully we'll have ethical funding for helping people and nothing else by the end of next month."

I smiled, leaning into Javi. The sky was red from the sunset now, and we'd been holding hands the whole time. Even though we'd gone years without really talking, right now, it felt like nothing had changed.

"I'm glad to hear it, Javi. And I'm so, so glad you're okay."

"Yeah, me too. It was dicey there for a minute, but we're on the other side now."

I leaned a little further into Javi, and after a moment, he raised one arm and stretched it around my shoulders. I sighed.

"You know..." Javi started. He paused and cleared his throat, then shifted a little on the bench before continuing. "Kate and I could actually use some help working on those grant proposals, and maybe some of our future presentations. I know you've always been happy to do your own thing, but... we'd love to have your help if you want to come back to spending more time with us. I would love that."

I leaned back to look Javi in the eye, and I couldn't keep a gigantic smile off my face for even a second.

"Honestly Javi? I would love that. Both to be part of helping you guys finish what you started, helping our community, and... for you. I missed you a lot."

"I missed you too. So much. And I know I'm the one who left, but if you'd be willing to give us another shot... I'll be around for the long haul."

 My heart did a backflip in my chest, and the beaming smile on my face mirrored the feeling.

"I would really love that Javi."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, good." He smiled back at me, then started leaning in before stopping short. "Can I kiss you?"

"Absolutely you can."

He grinned, then the two of us closed the distance as one, Javi's hand going to my waist as I tangled one in his hair. It felt right, and we both smiled into the kiss.

"No pressure if this is a little fast," I said, pulling back from Javi just enough to speak, "but... would you like to stay the night tonight?"

"You know I've stayed the night before, right? Regularly. I don't know if it can count as too fast if we've already done it a million times."

"Fair point. So what do you say?"

"I'd love to." He leaned in, placing a gentle kiss on my neck and then moving slowly up towards my ear. One of his hands moved to my thigh as he whispered: "I've got a lot to catch you up on if you're going to start writing grant proposals for us. I think we've got an all-nighter coming on."

I laughed, pulling back and swatting at Javi's arm. He just grinned.

"Okay, I'm officially banning work talk until tomorrow morning."

"Honestly, you don't have to tell me twice."

****************

Everything Taglist: @rosecentury @kmc1989 @space-helen

Twisters Taglist: @turtlee-says-rawr

[asexualbookbird]

SPOOKY SEASON IS UPON US!

I crafted a lot this month, but can't share it yet so there's not too much to report here. Been watching a lot of Dropout and having fun with that. My tv started smelling like burning plastic so I'm out a Large Screen for things. Days are getting shorter and I'm walking at night, but have to change that because it's not even the end of DST and I already miss the sun. Got halfway through Swordtember before dropping it for more exciting projects. Doodles a lot of clouds. I don't know! Days went by and here I am!

Network Effect by Martha Wells ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - A reread to prepare myself for System Collapse. Still an emotional banger. I am normal about our favorite SecUnit and Asshole Research Transport. So incredibly normal.

When the Angels Left the Old Country by Sascha Lamb ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - YOU ARE THE FRIEND TO MY SOUL!!!! I want to reread this again and again, it's an absolute DELIGHT. The narrator was great and I'm glad I did the audiobook because hearing all the yiddish healed my soul in some way. Gay in every sense of the word.

The Hourglass Throne by KD Edwards ⭐⭐⭐⭐- My big hangup on this is the integration of COVID. You're telling me you found a magical cure for a disease that has killed and disabled millions and you're leaving it up to the non Atlanteans to figure things out on their own? Other than that, it was fun and emotional as I've come to expect from this series. Excited to learn it's not a trilogy and there are way more books planned to come.

Painted Devils by Margaret Owen ⭐⭐⭐ - Fun, but ultimately a disappointment coming off of Little Thieves. Way more focused on Vanja and Emeric's relationship, which is Fine, but took away from the things I liked about LT (heists! Mischief! Mayhem!) Not thrilled that everything came back to Vanja in the end, and something rubbed me wrong about how Big Happy Family they were immediately. Not to mention the guy everyone hates is RIGHT. Stop and think WHY this creature wants your blood! Don't give it freely! Will still read Holy Terrors because of course I am.

When Among Crows by Veronica Roth ⭐⭐⭐ - I was lovingly bullied into reading this because Roth isn't my favorite author but it's been long enough since Allegiant that I gave it a chance anyway. I'd rather just replay The Witcher. Not to say All Polish Folklore Is The Same, but this was so. Empty feeling. Three stars for the monsters, but that's all from folklore. There's no original world building here. Also funny she still made it about Chicago. I'm not complaining, I really do think that's funny.

System Collapse by Martha Wells ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐- THE SYSTEM SURE HAS COLLAPSED! I want to tell SecUnit I'm proud of it, but I can't because it's not ready to hear it. The one downside is I'm once again out of new Murderbot to read. Emotional, as always. Sarcastic, as it knows no other way to be.

October, my love. I had plans to do Drawtober, but I'm not really feelings it so I'll do other things. I have crafts to work on, and a stack of books to read. I'm coming to terms with the fact I will not be completing my 24 books in 2024 list, which is mine own fault for not really focusing on it until uh. Now. But Whatever! I'm vibing! Happy fall! Let's get spooky!

[ghcstao3]

I saw your tags, you have challenged me!

Scary Show AU (cw for cannibalism and murder)

Ghost is a very well-known yet still semi-anonymous Voice Actor for spooky shit. There's a huge following for him because, regardless of what role he's playing, he does a phenomenal job. He's only listed in the cast list as "S.R.Ghost"

Typically he plays the role of the creatures in this super popular show called "Cryptid Season" which follows a gang of college kids desperate for extra credit in their Biology class so they hunt cryptids as evidence/to study for their papers. He does the voice over and some of the motion capture (he's a big dude) for the monsters and such, his most famous one being "Goatman" (from the demonic Goatman's bridge in I think Texas?)

Meanwhile Soap is this animator who's starting to become really popular, and he announces a new show in the work: "Consume", where he voices one of the two lead roles. It's presented as a show about a normal, if not very lonely man, being tormented by a demonic presence in his home.

Plot twist: dude's actually a cannibalistic serial killer and ends up quickly befriending the demon. The demon helps make the man harder to track by police forces in exchange for the bones and souls of his victims.

Cast:

Soap as the killer

Ghost as the demonic entity

Gaz as a detective who's new to the case but also best friends with Soap's character

Price voices the seasoned detective who's been working this case "too damn long"

Ghost and Soap ABSOLUTELY fall in love while recording scenes together. The banter, the flirting, the sexy scenario of cutting up a corpse together; it's too much not to fall in love irl

(actually such a big brain idea but I don't know how you'd write it tbh lmao. Maybe the show itself, where the boys keep their names? Idk the original idea turned into something much greater)

took a minute to figure something out i'm ngl but i did. something (in any case i would love to see your proper takes(s) if you'd be up to it, seeing as it's your idea!! i feel like i couldn’t do it justice)

-

Just like any other actor, Ghost had to audition for the role.

His agent books it for him without consultation, knowing the project would be right up his alley—horror, monsters, no face required—and Ghost makes no argument in sending in his tape. He recognizes this process and takes no issue with it, and once out of his hands, he waits patiently for a congratulatory offer or a gentle rejection.

Just like any other movie, or show, or what have you. Consume is no different.

Supposedly. At first.

John "Soap" MacTavish is... many things. He's charming, according to most. Talented. A joy to be around. A man who wears more than several hats of a project, which certainly tells of someone trying to worm their way into the commercial industry.

He has the spirit and creativity, Ghost will allow him that. But he also doesn't know when to stop talking as soon as the important work is done.

Is Soap professional? Sure. Does Soap make sure all jobs are done with efficiency and done well? Yes, he does. Does it make him any less of a nuisance to Ghost? Absolutely not.

But Ghost would be damned if the project doesn’t find its way into his soft spots, despite its nature. He’d be damned if he doesn’t fall in love with Soap’s animations and the hard work and craft he puts into them.

Then he blinks, and the pilot is premiering. It does well (again, considering its content), and Consume is properly green-lit.

Which is when Soap proposes the idea of recording their lines in the same room. Together. Facing one another. Because banter, and chemistry, and whatever other reasons he insists upon.

Personally, Ghost wants to decline. He’s always felt somewhat awkward when recording as such with anyone, but professionally? He couldn’t really say no, could he?

And it is awkward, at first. There’s more takes than usual, and Ghost can sense Soap’s frustration, though the man never expresses it. He just plasters on a tight smile, calls for a break, and pulls Ghost aside.

Surely, surely this is where Ghost gets fired. This is where Ghost is told he’s going to be replaced, where he’s told to say goodbye to Gaz and Price and wish them luck, and move onto his next gig. This is where—

“Have I done something wrong?”

Soap’s face is so earnest. So painfully sincere.

Ghost clenches his jaw. Shakes his head.

“No, I—“ He sighs. “Just have to get used to the… face-to-face. Let’s—I’ll try again.”

Soap smiles wider, now, as he nods, something kind and warm and brilliant.

The second try goes much smoother. Ghost takes a deep breath and eases himself into scripted dialogue, into witty banter and subtle flirts like it’s any other project.

They continue to record lines as such, just the two of them, each episode at a time. At some point, Ghost worries, the line between script and show and reality gets blurred. At some point, he fears, that flirting becomes genuine.

And what would he know—the reviews only get better as that line becomes less and less clear. Natural, real-feeling dialogue, critics say. The relationship is authentic, claim viewers.

The love is actually heartfelt.

And fuck, if that doesn’t make Ghost realize a few things about himself.

About Soap.

Consume is no different, his ass. He might have to have a stern talk with his agent in the near future.

(Or not.)

[catsandbats13]

I wrote a Stan x reader fanfic!

I have never written a fanfic before, let alone written smut (spoiler alert) so I hope my fellow Grunkle lovers like it!

Also everyone say thank you to @rubydracogirl for proofreading this for me! You’re the best!

Here’s chapter 1, I’ll be posting the rest shortly

(You can also read it on ao3 if you prefer)

Author's note: you’ll notice the reader only refers to him as Stan, as at this point in the series no one else knew he was Stanley and not Stanford. Also I didn’t want the reader to refer to him as Stanford cause in my mind I’m just picturing Ford instead lol.

Additionally I apologize but I completely left Waddles out, I know he was there in the episode, I just didn’t include him cause I felt it was a bit distracting. Sorry for all you big Waddles fans out there! This is also my first time writing Stan x reader or any fanfic of any kind, so I apologize if it’s a bit OOC.

Scaryoke Scars

CHAPTER 1

You were still trying to wrap your head around everything that had happened. The night had started normally enough with the Shack’s grand re-opening party, attended by the grateful townspeople after Stan had exposed Lil Gideon for the fraud that he was.

You had expected to see some awkward teenagers hanging on the periphery, some smashing of what Mabel referred to as “Stañiata’s”, and maybe even dance with Stan, who you’d been pining after for months since you were hired as additional personnel for the Shack at the beginning of summer.

What you hadn’t expected was for the ground to start shaking, scattering the partygoers as they ran for safety, and for Dipper, Mabel and Soos to round the corner being chased by a horde of zombies.

Sure, you weren’t oblivious to the strangeness of Gravity Falls, what with the kids and their spooky journal constantly getting involved with the paranormal, but you had hoped that after the craziness of Gideon’s defeat there’d be a bit of a break from action and adventure.

You’d had the whole thing worked out; you’d wait until a classic 80s song came on, and make your way over to Stan in his stupidly sexy form fitting suit. From there you would sidle up to him and ask how he’s enjoying his party, he’d make some dumb comment about how it’s high time the people of this town realized the Mystery Shack was the ultimate party destination or joke about how he should’ve charged more for tickets. Then you’d both laugh and he’d share one of those smiles meant for you and only you. You’d gather your courage and reach out your hand and ask “Would you care for a dance?” And in your fantasy he’d chuckle and do that adorable gesture where he blushes and shyly rubs the back of his neck before looking in your eyes and saying “I can’t say no to you, doll.” You’d imagined the two of you dancing the night away and sharing flirty glances and maybe even more, but those dreams were quickly dashed when you saw the mob of the undead coming after the kids.

“Dipper! What’s the one thing I asked you not to do?” Mabel scolded her brother.

“Raise the dead,” Dipper responded remorsefully.

“And what did you do?”

“Raise the dead.”

You couldn’t help but find it slightly funny how cavalier Mabel was about her twin summoning the undead, clearly this wasn’t their first rodeo with the paranormal.

More pressingly though, the zombies were rapidly closing in, leaving the four of you backed up against the side of the shack.

Soos heroically stepped in front of you all, attempting to shield you from the imminent danger.

“Get back dudes, this is about to get intense!”

As the zombies tore through the picnic table like it was nothing, you all screamed in unison, until the terror of the moment was temporarily broken by Soos pulling out his phone to snap a quick picture, commenting, “You gotta admit, this is pretty cool!”

“Not really the time, Soos!” You responded, unable to keep panic from creeping into your voice.

“Don’t panic! Maybe they’re just a really ugly flash mob!” Mabel reasoned in a trembling voice.

Leave it to her to be optimistic in the face of certain death.

“Dudes, stay calm,” Soos interjected confidently.

“With all the zombie movies I’ve seen, I know literally everything there is to know about how to avoid zombies.”

Soos was quickly proven wrong, and you watched in horror as one of the undead lurched forward and bit Soos hard on the shoulder, causing the handyman’s eyes to cloud over to a pale white, his skin becoming pallid and gray with tinges of sickly green as he was turned into a member of the terrifying horde in front of you.

“Second thought, gonna flip the script. Can I…eat your brains? Yay or nay? I’m seeing some yay faces here…”

The three of you jumped back and screamed in terror at the sight of your friend being transformed. Not wasting any time, you grabbed an arm from both twins and took off running, pulling them along around the side of the house, trying desperately to get away from what seemed like an endless, ever approaching crowd of zombies.

As you rounded the corner, Dipper spotted the golf cart to the side and shouted, “Quick! The golf cart!” Only for it to immediately be torn apart by the flesh eating monsters.

“Oh come on!” he said in an exasperated voice.

Soos and the rest of the zombies were right behind you, and you heard the handyman say, “Hoo, that’s a bummer! Good news for me though!”

“Soos!” Dipper and you shouted indignantly at the same time.

“Sorry dude, I just really want those brains!” The zombie Soos chuckled.

“Stay back!” Dipper shouted, taking the shovel he’d been carrying and using it like a baseball bat to launch one of the party’s light up disco balls at the creatures, and hopefully force them back a bit. But to your shock and horror, the zombie simply swallowed the thing whole. The disco ball lit up its ribcage dramatically from within in shades of blue, yellow and red, illuminating your terrified faces.

“Give it up, dudes, your fighting only makes us look more rad!” Soos reasoned as him and the zombies continued their now extra radical approach towards your group.

The three of you backed away from the steadily approaching horde, Mabel gripping onto her brother for dear life and you holding tightly to the sleeve of Dipper’s vest, keeping the kids as close to you as possible. You would be damned if you were gonna let these kids get hurt under your watch. You didn’t know what you could possibly do in defense of literal flesh eating monsters, but you knew you’d go down fighting if it meant giving the kids a chance to get away.

“What do we do? Where’s Grunkle Stan?” Mabel fretted.

“How’s he supposed to help? He doesn’t even believe in the supernatural!” Dipper cried.

Oh god, where is Stan? You thought anxiously.

Dipper is right, he thinks this is all made up, does he even stand a chance against an army of zombies?

You couldn’t bear to think of what they could’ve possibly done to him. Little did you know, you had severely underestimated Stan and his ability to kick ass when it counts.

The mob had quickly gotten too close for comfort and you used your grip on the twins to drag them further down the path towards the front door of the Shack, hoping to find safety behind its doors.

Before you could reach it though a zombie popped up in front of Mabel, and for a split second you thought she was a goner, but the girl didn’t hesitate and used the portable karaoke machine she’d been pulling along the whole time to knock the creature’s head clean off it’s shoulders, shouting, “TAKE THAT SUCKA!”, killing it instantly. Mabel seemed just as stunned as the rest of you that she’d been successful.

“This thing’s a surprisingly good weapon!” You heard her remark before the zombies got within arms reach and you all bolted for the door. The three of you raced inside and you slammed the door shut just as decomposing hands began to grasp at it.

“Quick! We need to board up all the windows!” Dipper instructed, Mabel and yourself swiftly following his lead and blocked the door with whatever you could find in the gift shop, prioritizing the heavier objects like the Mayan calendar and a metal rack of keychains to obstruct the entrance.

Despite your best efforts, the zombies managed to squeeze their hungry limbs through the gaps in the doorway, grasping and clawing at the air in desperation, but not getting beyond that for the time being.

“Okay, maybe that’ll hold them,” you said uncertainly, backing up to the relative safety of the rear of the gift shop.

All of a sudden, the side window was smashed open, revealing a grinning zombie Soos brandishing a drill.

“Hey dudes! By the way, I taught the zombies how to get into the fuse box,” the lights flickered off as he spoke, confirming his statement and leaving you in darkness with only some faint red light from outside.

“Among these dudes I’m like a genius!”

With the window broken, the undead began pouring through the frame and stalking towards you.

“Get those brains, dawg!” You heard Soos rooting for the zombies from outside the shack.

Panicked and trapped, you tried to run to the other door, only for several arms to punch through it and attempt to grab ahold of you. You and the kids had no choice but to retreat into the corner.

“Dipper, isn’t there something in the journal about defeating zombies?!” Mabel cried fearfully.

Dipper pulled out the worn journal and frantically flipped through the pages, searching for something that could save you from this deadly predicament.

“No! There’s nothing here about weaknesses!” He cried in a panic.

“This can’t be happening, I wanted answers so bad I put everyone in danger. Now we’re toast, it’s all my fault and no one can save us!”

A zombified arm popped out of the mob and snatched Dipper up, making him scream, “AH, NO! Mabel, I’m sorry!”

You reacted instantly and grabbed ahold of his midsection and used every bit of strength you had to pull him out of the monster's grasp. You succeeded and managed to wrench Dipper away and instinctively put yourself in between the kids and the rapidly approaching dead. You knew in your heart this was the end, but you hoped that maybe you could distract the zombies long enough for Dipper and Mabel to get away. You were more scared than you’d ever been in your life but you were more afraid of losing the twins, who you’d quickly grown to love over the course of the summer.

“Kids, you gotta run away, don’t wait for me!” You shouted what you thought would be your last words. You braced yourself to fight, your hands clenched into fists in front of you. But before you could take a swing, you were yanked to the side by rotting green arms, pulling you towards its gaping maw. At the very last second, before it had the chance to bite you, the zombie's head was knocked clean off by the violent swing of a baseball bat and a powerful stomp reduced the skull to dust. You fell to the floor, stunned and tried to process what you were seeing.

There, stood in front of you, broad chest heaving with effort, was none other Stan Pines. His suit was ripped and torn all over and covered in what you could only assume were zombie guts, clenched tightly in his hand was a bat that had clearly taken out more than a couple zombie heads on the way there.

He wasted no time and shouted, “YOU THREE, ATTIC, NOW!” in a voice that under normal circumstances would’ve been kinda hot, but you were still too overwhelmed by nearly having become zombie chow.

“Gr-Grunkle Stan?!” Dipper stuttered, clearly in disbelief at the sight of his uncle being such a badass.

“I said NOW!” Stan repeated harshly, jolting you into action as you jumped up and frantically ran with the twins through the living room and up the stairs towards safety, with Stan following, fighting back your attackers as you retreated.

You could hear Stan’s shouts and taunts as he held off the zombie attackers completely on his own.

“Alright you undead jerks, you ready to die twice?!”

You stopped at the top of the stairs once you saw the kids were well ahead of you to look back at Stan. He was a blur, swinging the bat and taking out the zombies like it was nothing, smashing head after head and avoiding every swipe and claw at him.

“The only wrinkly monster who harasses my family is me! Take that, and that!” Stan continued to beat the swarm back, not even hesitating when one zombie gained the upper hand and bit the bat in half, rearing back and punching through its head with his brass knuckles.

“Eat it, no-eyes! Anyone else want a piece?!” He hollered, pumped up on adrenaline and rage.

As much as you wanted to keep watching this impressive display of power by your long-time crush, you knew it was only a matter of time before the mass of the dead made their way upstairs. Reassured that he could handle himself, you turned tail and ran up to the attic, meeting the kids in their room and slamming the door shut behind you.

“Where’s Grunkle Stan?” Mabel asked you worriedly.

“Don’t worry, he should be right behind me,” you reassured the young girl, patting her arm in an attempt to comfort her.

The moment was broken by a loud pounding at the door, the three of you huddled together in fear, expecting the undead to break through any second, but instead the door swung open to reveal Stan, coughing slightly and hunched over, but safe and sound.

“Ugh, ow, everything hurts.” He complained as he made his way into the attic and barricaded the door with a chair.

“Grunkle Stan, that was amazing!” Dipper said in shock and awe at having witnessed his Great Uncle take on a legion of the dead and kick absolute ass.

“Are you alright?” He asked, before awkwardly chuckling and remarking, “Well, at least you can’t deny magic exists anymore.”

After a short pause, to everyone’s surprise Stan responded, “Kid, I’ve always known.”

“What?!” The three of you yelled in unison.

You hadn’t been expecting that, he’d done a great job of feigning ignorance up until this point, you genuinely thought he was oblivious to the weirdness that permeated the town.

“Wait, what are you talking about?” Dipper said in total confusion.

“I’m not an idiot, Dipper! Of course this town is weird! And the one thing I know about that weirdness is that it’s dangerous!”

As if to prove his point, a zombie hand broke through the wood of the blocked door, forcing you all further into the room and away from its deadly grip.

“I’ve been lying about it to try to keep you away from it, to try to protect you from it!”

You felt your heart squeeze at the confession, he was so protective of the kids. It made perfect sense to you as to why he’d chosen to lie, he really thought he was doing what was best for their safety. Not to mention the fact that Gravity Falls’s weirdness was why you were in this predicament in the first place.

The sound of shattering glass reached your ears as another zombie attempted to break into the room, this time through the window. With a powerful right hook, the monster was sent flying back from whence it came, landing in the middle of a crowd of zombies, who eerily stared back at you with their blank, dead eyes.

“It looks like I didn’t lie well enough.” Stan said bitterly.

“What do we do, what do we do?” Mabel cried anxiously.

Dipper pulled out his journal and began pacing the room.

“Well, normally the journal would help us, but there’s nothing in there about defeating zombies! It’s hopeless!”

Unbeknownst to him, the open book had been illuminated by one of the black lights from the party, revealing writing that was otherwise invisible.

“Wait, wait, wait! The text! It’s glowing in the black light!” Mabel exclaimed, drawing her brother's attention to this new discovery.

“What?” He was as surprised as the rest of you, and you all watched as he flipped through the pages, revealing more and more glowing hidden messages.

“All this time I thought I knew all the journal‘s secrets, but they’re written in some kind of invisible ink!” Dipper said in astonishment, his uncle echoing his words in shared astoundment.

“Invisible ink…”

Finally reaching the entry about zombies, Dipper said excitedly, “This is it!” And began to read aloud: “Zombies have a weakness! Previously thought to be invincible, their skulls can be shattered by a perfect four part harmony.”

A four part harmony? You thought. That’s oddly specific.

“Four part harmony, how can we create that? I have a naturally high pitched scream,” Dipper offered.

“I can make noises with my body, sometimes intentionally!” Stan volunteered. You suppressed a smile at that ridiculous statement.

“I can yell louder than the average person,” you proposed.

“Guys, guys,” Mabel interrupted. “I think you’re all missing the obvious solution.”

Cut to a few minutes later, the four of you are gathered on the roof with Mabel’s karaoke machine set up to the side, microphones in hand. You nervously gripped the mic in your sweaty palm as you observed just how big your undead audience was.

Is this even going to work? Is the last thing I do on this earth going to be singing karaoke? You pondered. Well I guess there are worse ways to go.

“Hello, hello? Is this thing on?” Mabel started doing her thing with the karaoke set up as the noise attracted more and more zombies who gathered below.

You gulped nervously, looking over at Stan for reassurance but he looked just as lost and unsure as you felt.

At least I’m not the only one questioning my life choices right now.

“Zombies and gentlemen!” Mabel announced. “I’m Mabel, they’re Dipper, Stan and Y/N, and together we’re Love Patrol Alpha!”

“I never agreed to that name!” Dipper quickly interjected, not even wanting monsters to associate him with his sister's goofy band name.

Mabel ignored him entirely and shouted, “Hit it!” cueing up the music.

The first beats of the classic 80s song began blasting from the speakers, the lyrics appearing on the device's screen with accompanying animated silhouettes of dancers.

Reading the first few lines, Stan commented, “Uh, Mabel, our lives may not be worth this.”

You had to roll your eyes at that, only Stan would say that getting eaten by zombies was preferable to singing one cheesy karaoke song.

As the first lyrics scrolled past, Dipper began to sing hesitantly.

“Friday night, and we’re gonna party till dawn. Don’t worry daddy, I’ve got my favourite dress on?” He covered the mic in embarrassment.

“Mabel this is stupid!”

Wanting to help encourage the boys to sing for their lives, you joined Mabel on the next verse and sang, bopping along to the beat.

“Roll into the party, the boys are looking our way. We just keep dancing, we don’t care what they say! And all the boys are getting up in my face-ahh!”

Yours and Mabel’s serenade was rudely interrupted by a zombie who had appeared at the edge of the roof, attempting to grab ahold of the closest victim.

“Guys! We have to sing together or it won’t work!” Mabel cried.

Your heart inadvertently began fluttering as you heard Stan join in with his gruff singing voice.

“Boys are a bore, let’s show ‘em the door,”

A wide grin overtook your face as you, the kids and Stan all harmonized together.

“We’re taking over the dance floor! Oh-oh, girls do what we like!”

The force of your singing combined sent a shockwave through the crowd of zombies, having an immediate effect on them, they covered their ears and several of their heads just straight up exploded. Emboldened by the effectiveness of the music, you sang the next lines even louder and more passionately along with the Pines family.

“Oh-oh, we’re taking over tonight! Oh-oh, girls do what we like! Oh-oh, we’re taking over tonight!”

The more the four of you sang, the more zombies began to succumb to the deadly sounds of karaoke. Skulls were exploding everywhere, covering the yard in a mess of green guts and flesh.

“We’re queens of the disco! Oh-oh, girls do what we like! Oh-oh, we’re taking over tonight!”

Dipper jumped in at the end to belt out the last line of the song.

“Taking over toniiiiight!”

Suddenly, a final zombie popped up next to him, making him scream, but Mabel was ready for it.

“DUCK!” she shouted, taking aim with a massive confetti cannon, which she shot with impeccable aim and sent the monster's head sailing through the air, finally landing in a punch bowl from the party earlier with a satisfying splash.

“Thank you, we’ll be here all night!” Mabel shouted triumphantly.

“Deal with it, zombie idiots! Ahahaha!” Stan gleefully hollered, laughing maniacally as he celebrated. You couldn’t help but laugh along with him, so relieved the nightmare was over and a little in disbelief that you’d just defeated an army of the undead with the power of karaoke.

“PINES! PINES! PINES! PINES!” The family jumped and chanted in unison, fully claiming their victory.

You giggled and shook your head at their antics, amused.

Well, that certainly could’ve gone worse, you thought to yourself as you watched the family cheer in celebration.

Link to chapter 2 below

[misslazarus]

TANGLED BLESSINGS GAME JAM

Solo TTRPG posting again for my fellow solo game enjoyers/the solo game curious!

I’ve posted before about Tangled Blessings by @cassimothwin , a project I was so thrilled to back and play (and find in the wild a couple of times 👀). It’s a really engaging solo/duet rpg about being a student at a spooky magical school, and facing off against your rival. Also very cool to know, Tangled Blessings is a hack of the iconic game Anamnesis by @goblinmixtape (a game I mean to post about here one day if I feel I actually have anything interesting to add other than “I love it” lol).

In extremely cool news for amateur/fledgling game writers and those who never find time to participate in NaNoWriMo [meeee], Cassi Mothwin opened up a Tangled Blessings game jam on itch.io !! The game jam is for expansions to /projects inspired by Tangled Blessings. The jam is running until February 29th (leap day swag btw). I think this is such a cool idea to explore a really fun game, and I’m planning on submitting something! If you want to participate and don’t already own it, Cassi has a free preview to get you started!

DISCLAIMER: I am not posting this in any capacity other than as a big fan of Cassi’s work— and to alert my buddies on here who are into this kind of thing and to whom I’ve spoken about Tangled Blessings and solo rpgs in general.

I’ve linked the jam below for the rules and info. I also linked Tangled Blessings and Anamnesis itch.io pages so I hope all the links don’t nerf this post in the tags.

Happy writing y’all!

[ghostlythunderbird]

I am coming to offer this thot to anyone who wants it because I have no brain juice to even write this.

But my mind has been on some Werewolf!Ghost action for a bit now, not just the regular giant wolf that walks in two legs no no. I'm talking about the Twilight big ass doggos type of werewolves. But only only that; the werewolf’s human form also has ears and a tail (kind of like a hybrid).

ANYWAYS I had a thot about how Price and Laswell could be were keepers parse a and they would recently capture another werewolf (I think of them being a female were because I do a lot of self inserting over here don't mind me lol) that they could potentially pair Ghost with; or whoever your thinking of babe it could be Gaz, Soap, Keegan, or even König the possibilities are endless in the spooky month.

As for you my dear sweet reader, your story is quite different; you were a lone wolf for a long time and you've never really been in a werewolf friendly place. People are fearful of your kind as most think your a mindless creature lingering for their flesh; well soon your found out to be a werewolf and are captured by a “Rehabilitation project” specifically for your kind. Your time there was actually pretty nice, you had shelter, food and you felt safe. The environment itself reminded you of your birth pack’s old hunting grounds.

Well soon after your feeling well and the veterinarian team clears you are in good health, your soon ready to be paired with the boys. But who could be a perfect fit? You needed someone to be strong and quite dominant, they also needed some pretty good genes is you know what I mean *aggressive eyebrow wiggles*

But at the same time could you IMAGINE all the trial and errors of being paired with these boys who have NO idea on how to court you properly. Ghost does show interest but doesn't even know where to start much less make a conversation with you, Gaz and Soap are beyond excited of finally having another werewolf (can guarantee soap will be too head over heels where his brain don't work much), Keegan might become too standoffish and poor König tries his best and you end up being gifted a whole ass moose.

Thanks for coming to my 12 am ADHD Ted talk (I have so much brain rot for this I just had to get it out there for you all to suffer with me please send help)

[mulders-too-large-shirt]

s3 episode 18 thoughts

was thinking about my evening scullynmulder time all day… and here we are <3

to be honest, i'm not sure how i feel about this episode. it was just kind of okay for me. nothing to make me loathe it (well- one thing that made me angry, but it was small, and i'll talk about it), but nothing too compelling for me plot-wise. that being said, sometimes hearing an alternate viewpoint can change my mind, or i'll put together pieces later that didn't connect right away while watching, and the light in which i view an episode can change. so no hard and fast rulings here.

i’m reading the episode description, and it seems to be about archaeological digs, and sacred items being transported where they shouldn’t be!! this is actually something i feel really strongly about!!!

(in fact, i had to cut a LOT of this episode recap down because i kept going on about anthropological ethics... then i straight up realized i needed to stfu <3)

we begin!

we are in ecuador, at a dig site. oh, a pot! and pottery shards. how exciting! someone is yelling about something they found, and everyone comes to look. i do not speak spanish but i think they are saying that this thing is a bad sign? shoutout to cognates and closed captions, two of my bestest friends

it has since started snowing since they found this thing, which dr. roosevelt proclaims to be an amaru, which is a bold sign. there is a skull in there.

anyway, the archaeologists are saying that the body of a female shaman is sacred, and that it cannot be disturbed. and i would say, yes of course! but dr. roosevelt is not chill like me, and says they aren’t disturbing her, but saving her. okay, so this is the sort of thing that has sadly been incredibly common in real life, disregard for Indigenous opinions on the treatment of their ancestors by so-called academics claiming to fight for history. he orders the archaeologists to pack it up despite their insistence that it isn’t a good idea.

a shaman appears on the mountains in the snow... which is not an auspicious sign, i would imagine.

so this dr. roosevelt is listening to his classical music while the archaeologists from the dig are conducting a ceremony with the mountain shaman. they are sipping from a spoon and passing it around. ah, it is a hallucinogen. things get all green vision-y.

something is coming… A BIG CAT!!! HAS EATEN DR. ROOSEVELT!!!!!! JAGUAR BE UPON YE!!!!!!!

deserved.

intro time. how i have come to love this pair and their blurry lil spooky scenes…. <3 

so now we are at the boston museum of natural history. a guard is about with a flashlight in the dark and i think he sees some blood?? YES LOTS OF BLOOD. literally so much blood omfg. and then behind all the blood is the amaru!!!

is it agents time? is it agents time? YAAAAAS AGENTS TIME!!!! they are investigating. and someone scully is talking to thinks that the murder victim- craig- was killed because of the project he was working on. 

OH! scully has a letter in her hands from the Secona demanding the return of their artifacts. yes yes! i hope the museum does the right thing at this urging (even though i know deep down they will not)

“it was among the antiquities we rescued last month”, says someone from the museum <- ohhhh you're going to jail for that self-righteous language. scully catches onto the “rescued” description. they claim that the area was going to undergo construction. um so i would ask why reburying it in a place slightly to the left where it wasn't going to get smashed by a pipeline wasn't considered as an option, and why we jumped straight to giving it to some dudes in boston.

mulder asks about the curse, which he is apparently well-versed in. the jaguar spirit will attack those who disturb the bones of the woman shaman. but this guy says he will NOT return the remains. a stubborn fool... 

a phd candidate helps them look at the urn, and mulder rightfully points out that if someone messed with his bones, he would also want a curse to be placed upon them. which is tea.

the phd candidate's name is mona, and she agrees that this should have been left in the ground, that craig didn’t know about the danger he was in, and she is aware of SEVERAL letters of protest. she reveals that Dr. Bilac, who was the liaison to the tribe, either resigned or was forced out by the head of the project, depending on who you ask, because he believed that “the Secona have the right to determine the fate of their ancestral remains” AS HE SHOULD!!

going to this guy’s house. he was at the dig. and frankly, i do think he is very attractive. but he seems a bit... out of it, to put it nicely. 

his house is full of artifacts and images of artifacts. he’s asking scully "who told you i was involved", and scully says mona. okay... i think it wasn’t really secret knowledge??? no need to be so defensive!

he clarifies that he objected when he felt dr. roosevelt went too far. and he says “you don’t want to know what i think happened” so mulder sits RIGHT NEXT TO HIM and clarifies that yes, yes they really would. i was sensing some undertones there.

dr. bilac says "i think whatever happened is going to keep happening until the bones are returned" <- a reasonable deduction.

he says their investigation is a waste of time. scully seems to think he is “the suspect”, suggesting that he would kill for his cause. she describes his politics as radical but... they really aren’t.

(and this was the part i mentioned objecting to in the beginning, her referring to "his politics" like that. however, i am reminded that some scientists, historians, and anthropologists genuinely take this position- that ancestral remains ought to be studied, wishes of their communities be damned- and therefore it is not entirely out of character for her to think like that, but it is something we'd get in a heated fight about)

and mulder does that thing where he puts his hand on her back. don’t think i missed that!!!!

they’re bickering about what really happened and i'm thinking, well no one knows yet, maybe it WAS a jaguar spirit.

OH! mona is on the phone saying someone is lying. and someone else is listening in. it’s dr. lewton who is eavesdropping. mona was on the phone with dr. bilac!!! so what was he lying to the agents about?!?

so lewton is saying that they have a responsibility to history and that they were doing the right thing and to ignore “the politics”... again with the politics comment. this is real-world rhetoric here that some people actually believe, but isn’t there something despicable about asking for respect for people's ancestors being called “politics”?

OH! dr. lewton is threatening mona's career…… oh! okay so he might be evil.

NO, THE DOOR CREAKS OPEN. MONA NO!! 

oh it’s just a dog :) his name is sugar :) yay i was scared for nothing :) hiii sugar ur really cute!

dr. lewton in the car. car isn’t starting!!!! that’s suspicious…. that’s weird…. he lifts up the hood. and we hear a heavy breathing and see stuff from a blurry green point of view....

the hood is full of BLOOD??? which he touches btw... NASTY! but what is even nastier is the dragging and screaming and ripping we hear now going on to him... and thus is the end of dr. lewton

(hmm are they gonna say bilac is transforming into the jaguar? and that’s why we heard a man breathing?? <- no they will not, past me, but it was a compelling guess)

scully plucks a dead rat from inside the car. “label that”, she says to a police officer, placing it in a bag. “as what?” “partial rat body part” <- i don’t know why this is making me cry laughing 

mona is being questioned. she lies and says lewton didn’t mention dr. bilac last night. LIAR. anyway! scully gives her her card and says to give her a call if anything comes to mind

mulder in the woods with the police. and the green vision-y thing sees him!!! from in a tree!!!

but then scully comes in bearing news of rats in the museum and in his car. she thinks mona knows something and is trying to protect bilac. which is also what i am thinking. perhaps scully's entrance saved mulder from the green visioned being pouncing upon him.

GASP! a drop of blood falls upon mulder’s face whilst still in the woods, and he thinks it’s rain. she wipes it off and looks up to find… ENTRAILS IN A TREE!!!!!! icky.

and is there tenderness in wiping a strange blood from an unknown source off of your partner's face while they kneel in the woods? yes.

mona is at dr. bilac’s place. he isn’t answering. oh, she calls him “lonnie”... so are they chill or something? anyway, he doesn’t seem to be in there.

EXCEPT HE IS! he was in the dark and yelled at her for trying to touch the windows. behaving like a vampire.

he has no reaction to learning that dr. lewton is dead, but he sure is sweaty and gaunt. he said he told mona not to come. aggressively.

OH! he has the stuff on the floor he had taken with the tribe with the shared spoon at the start of the episode. which he calls “vine of the soul”. she knows what that means- yaje- and does NOT like that. she grabs it and tells him he is sick and needs help. but he yells at her to get out :( and she is crying :( why are you hurting her....

AUTOPSY TIME ft. doctor scully!!! it’s a human intestine. LMAOOOO she found sunflower seeds in it and mulder says he is “a man of taste” 

oh! she says it looks like rats did the biting. love when she says unsettling stuff like that.

phone call time now. it’s mona calling scully. she’s crying at the museum, and the dog is barking as she says she feels she isn’t alone. scully deploys mulder to the scene.

there is a box that says teso dos bichos which is the name of the episode. google says it translates to "i have two bugs" but i don't fully believe that. anyway, as she goes to touch the urn the dog keeps barking. it’s a very very cute dog. 

she hears something going wild in the bathroom. like an earthquake in the toilets. and the toilets are full of RATS who are climbing OUT AT HER AND SHE SCREAMS AND YES ME TOO I AM ALSO SCREAMING????

scully at dr. bilac’s house. very tense music is playing and his door is wide open!!! she finds the bowls of the stuff while mulder is at the museum looking for mona or any sort of clues. 

mulder bumps onto the security guard, who tries to take him to mona. pls don't hurt my girl i'm rooting for her to get that phd.

scully is reading from dr. bilac’s journal, which describes a jaguar climbing from the trees, and mulder thinks well maybe that is how the intestines got up there, but she says he’s been tripping. two things can be true!! 

she says he has been invoking the curse. but as she says this, mulder rounds a corner and sees a LOT of blood. he enters the bathroom with a flourish of his gun. and finds dr. bilac! who only says “she’s dead” 

they bring him in for questioning- very suspicious for him to be in the bloody bathroom- but he claims he doesn’t know where mona is. 

oh, very very tense exchange. “i did not kill her” “then why do you have blood on your clothes?” scully is NOT messing around

he claims he was afraid for mona and tried to keep her away from this. she says point blank that he did it, but he is like no, you are dealing with a spirit. and he doesn’t know where her body is. 

mulder is troubled. he notices that all the toilets overflowed. oh! the rats were still in there. “rats. in every toilet” <- very serious show we are dealing with 

NO!!! mona's dog died :( the dog ate a cat that ate a rat that ate poison. mulder thinks this is suspicious. she says a lot of old buildings have rats. again, two things can be true!

he thinks the rats were trying to escape. and SOMEHOW bilac is gone. mulder seems to think that perhaps bilac animorphed into a rat? or he was dragged down into some old tunnels. because they did find blood!!!

tunnel time tunnel time! he tries the ladies first card but it does not work. oooh spooky dark tunnel. 

there is a creature down here!!!! with the green vision!!! a cat hisses. i mean if there are a lot of rats this is a banger place to be a cat but i’m still suspicious.

they follow a rat deeper into the tunnels and find a door. scully goes in the door but mulder went the other way. WHY DID HE DO THAT!!! NEVER SEPARATE IN THE TUNNELS.

mulder is looking at a rat. cute little dude. then calls for scully. HE HAS FOUND ALL OF THE BODIES!!! AND THEY HAVE BEEN GNAWED EEEW 

and the green vision thing sees them! oh! it is a cat. but just a little one. not a big scary one. 

OH!! a LOT OF CATS!!

NO!!! they are GETTING HER!!! LIKE SO MANY CATS!!!! and there is blood pouring from her face. despite this she finds bilac who is very dead. 

a large army of cats is trying to break in while they try to get out. he pulls her up and guides her out. 

aww her face is all scratched up :( pls test her for rabies this is soooo evil!!!

oh! the ecuadorian ambassador is coming to collect the urn. so success but at what cost.

mulder wraps up the episode. the archaeologists are reburying the urn. we see the shaman’s eyes go all green like the cats did!!!

so it was her doing the stuff!!! well. she needed to be returned home.

collecting my thoughts on the matter. 

well, first off, an ecuadorian jaguar spirit turning into a mass of wild rats and cats in boston is so funny so let’s establish that. 

second of all. i’m always hesitant to comment upon episodes that use indigenous people and beliefs as a plot point/scary thing of the week. so i’m going to have to admit i don’t know enough to comment on that. 

what i can comment upon is the very real trafficking of antiquities, destruction of archaeological sites, and above all, blatant insensitivity of academics historically thinking they are “saving” what they are plundering. it is a very real thing. and i talked about it a LOT more in the original draft of this but realized i ought to spare you. dm for reading recs tho

overall, i thought the episode was okay. i wasn’t really sure what they were doing with bilac, but i guess he was summoning the curse? but it kept going after he died. so i’m a little unclear on the rules of the curse here tbh. 

honestly not enough scully and mulder time for me, which is why it wasn't really a stand out to me, even if i thought the concept was fascinating.

but sometimes my opinions change and i'm open to hearing thoughts on the matter slash things i missed! like i'm still not fully getting the episode title so pls feel free to explain that.

[superblysubpar]

Hi everyone!

I just wanted to share a quick little note about my blog and writing things. It's a little long, so I'll put it under the cut.

But I just wanna say that I'm so grateful and happy for and to see all the new faces around here (I logged back on and the amount of messages and new followers and just...wow), but I'm also so incredibly grateful for those of you that continue to stick around and have been here from the beginning. It makes me very emotional! Anyways, I'm not going anywhere, there's just some updates below on the general vibe of my blog for the foreseeable future.

I love you, mean it, and I'm so happy you're here 💛

I'll be sharing Summertime Magic throughout the week this week, thanks so much for your patience with it all. I'm really excited to share all 3 of these stories, and I've been having fun writing them. It's been over a year since their initial tease to the tumblr world, and I feel like I'm finally ready to set my babies free out of the nest so to speak 😅

That being said, it may be the imminent spooky season upon us & the stories I've been more gravitated towards to read lately, the general fandom drama that seems to always suck every ounce of fun out of here, or just my attitude and attempt towards practicing writing/having fun on here vs writing stories for real projects in the real world, but I'm feeling a Big Shift coming with my writing, specifically on my blog.

A lot of the stories I've had planned here, for the fandom, I'm starting to tweak and mess with and then I think - hold on. This could be my own. And while I could write them initially as fanfic and twist them later (much like what I did with wcil) that gets really complicated and it's a lot of work, and I'd love to just write them as my characters from the get go.

But there's obviously stories I want to write and practice with, and many of those lately are not quite "rom com" centered. There's still love stories, there's still smut, but I'm craving diving into practicing writing and reading more of the sci-fi, upside down, horror, apocalypse vibes lately and, don't hate me...

Angst.

So, like I said, the smut, the love, its not going anywhere, it just might be coming to you in some new packages. I hope you stick around to read them.

To off set this shift, I am gonna open my requests more, but not in the way I've typically done. I'll explain this later, but I'm gonna have some mini writing challenges for myself, and this will involve many a blurb of the smut and fluff and spice varieties. So if that's why you've followed me, have no fear. It's just the longer versions of those stories are taking a break is all, so I can give my full attention to the rom coms I'm writing outside of tumblr that I hope you'll get to read or watch one day soon.

Anyways, this is terribly long and you honestly deserve everything good in this world if you've read this entire thing.

I hope you stick around, and if not, no worries, I still love you 💛

[flanaganfilm]

Mike, can you tell us your experience premiering Oculus at tiff 2013? I recently saw Perri Nemiroff’s interview with you (looking like a baby btw- so young) and it made me think about what your mindset must have been as in getting yo experience the launch of your career, post Absentia, at one of the most prestigious festivals.

Oh, I remember that very well... a lot changed in a very short amount of time. And I think I know the interview you're talking about, I keep trying to link to it here but it doesn't take...

So there are few things to point out about Oculus and about what was happening in my life at the time. When Oculus got greenlit, I was working full time as a reality television editor. I used to sneak out of my job at lunch to go to "doctor's appointments" whenever I had to come for production meetings or casting sessions (they started to think there was something really, really wrong with my health).

Making the movie was an amazing learning experience - it was my first "real" movie, and full of lessons. It was the first collaboration with people who would become pillars of my career moving forward, like producer Trevor Macy (who is now my partner at Intrepid Pictures and who has produced everything I've ever made since) and my DP Michael Fimognari, who is one of the most important collaborators of my life. It was also the first time I worked with a young actress named Kate Siegel, who played the spooky ghost in the mirror.

We went into TIFF with distribution already in place. FilmDistrict had committed to the project during the Cannes market before we shot the movie, so we thought we were set. It was going to be my big theatrical debut.

Just before we premiered at TIFF, FilmDistrict abruptly and bafflingly dropped the film. I still don't really know why. They had committed to a worldwide theatrical release for the movie, but for reasons that were never made entirely clear to me, they dropped us just before the festival. Suddenly the whole enterprise was in jeopardy, and I didn't know if anyone would pick the movie back up.

I was absolutely terrified.

Being my first "real" movie, I didn't really know how this world worked and couldn't understand why our distributor didn't want to release it. We'd made the movie they had been excited about, they seemed to really like it, and we'd done everything they asked - it was a shock to the system. So when we rolled into tiff, we were homeless and trying not to let FilmDistrict's abrupt change of heart poison our chances of another sale.

I had never been to TIFF before but heard about Midnight Madness, which had seen huge sales from Cabin Fever and Insidious. Bidding wars had broken out while the films were still screening. But being part of the program was absolutely no guarantee of distribution - in fact, this might be the highest this movie would ever rise.

Trevor Macy and I went to the world premiere of The Green Inferno, which was playing the night before we played, and the audience was ROWDY. Like, shouting and hollering throughout the movie. We looked at each other with wide, nervous eyes - if this was the Midnight Madness audience, they were going to hate our movie the next day. We were considerably slower, ponderous, and atmospheric in a room that seemed to demand visceral, overt entertainment. I left the screening feeling dejected and a little doomed. Trevor was more upbeat, citing conversations he'd had with the programmer, Colin Geddes, who assured us he'd put our movie in the best possible spot for its success.

Our screening was September 9th, 2013 at midnight. I was petrified, and we were sold out. I remember walking into the theater feeling like this was the most important screening of my life. I wasn't alone, thank goodness. Trevor Macy, Michael Fimognari, Brenton Thwaites, Katee Sackhoff, Rory Cochrane, and James Lafferty were on hand. The film seemed to play well. It was the opposite of the screening the night before, which Colin had told us would happen - "watch," he had said. "The Saturday night slot is the big crazy one. You guys are Sunday, and it's going to be completely different. They'll plug right in."

He was right. You could hear a pin drop for most of the first half, and then there were moments of scattered applause that picked up as the film progressed. By the end, people were jumping in their seats and cheering for young Tim and Kaylee. There was an audible gasp when the anchor swung. And the applause at the credits seemed heartfelt and loud.

Most of that is a blur for me. I found this grainy pic from the Q&A after the film. I still had no idea how it had gone, or what was going to come out of it. I remember having hard time putting words together, and I vividly recall feeling like I sounded like an absolute moron whenever I talked, and trying to pass the microphone over to the actors as often as I could.

It's tough to see everyone in the pic, but from left to right it is Colin Geddes, Michael Fimognari, myself, Trevor Macy, Katee Sackhoff, Brenton Thwaites, Rory Cochrane, and James Lafferty.

When I stepped out of the theater, though, I became aware that everything had changed. I was immediately surrounded by people who had seen the film, suddenly shaking a ton of hands and realizing that it had been a hit. I walked into the theater by myself, utterly anonymous, and feeling every bit like an imposter. But everything was different when I walked out. I remember someone from the press talking about it years later, and saying "I was there that night - you walked into the theater with nothing, and walked out with a career."

People were asking me to sign stuff. That had never happened in my life. People wanted to get pictures. It was SO. FUCKING. WEIRD. Someone snapped a picture during that little whirlwind, and you can see it on my (young, skinny, hopelessly naive) face - an overall bewilderment, a gentle disbelief that this was happening:

I loved my experience at TIFF. And it absolutely started everything. Relativity, Blumhouse, and WWE Films joined forces to make an offer on the movie at the festival, and we left with a theatrical distribution deal. My career had officially begun. Now, I wouldn't feel like it had for several more years - I remained in fight/flight/survival mode well through Gerald's Game - but in retrospect, yes, that's when it happened.

Thank you for asking this question, it's been a while since I've looked back at this period of my life. It kinda makes me want to watch that movie again. It has been a LONG time, and I owe it a lot.

Maybe everything.

[ahungeringknife]

slightly new and improved Writeblr intro

About me

I'm bb (bibi, and BB are fine but not Bb, that's a writing signature not mine), 30+, queer, she/they, and I like to write.

My fave genres are fantasy, scifi, and romance. Sometimes with historical fiction and slice of life thrown in too.

I have a probably unhealthy amount of OCs and I want all of them to kiss.

I write both fanfic and original stuff.

I mostly post my own writing, writeblr games, and posts that give me crazy OC thoughts to be tagged. I don't reblog a lot of writing advice or self deprecating writer posts because honestly? Couldn't be me.

I did a HUGE writing challenge this year that was an attempt to write 365 1-shots. One a day. I failed but that's okay. I wrote like 200 of them and that's great and I'm proud of myself.

This is a side blog. I follow from @xaz-fr

I love asks and tumblr messages. I do writeblr games but I could really use some writeblr friends to tag in the ones I do get :,D

I'd love to look at your stuff. You should def show me your writing in a reply or reblog :3

Main tags (that aren't WIPs)

#365 - the big year long project. It has some original stuff, and some fanfic. Lots of adult themes. Lots of original spooky stuff. Lots of 'horror and love are the same thing actually'. Things that are Very Adult are posted on AO3 with a link.

#Fey Alliance - catch all tag for my main setting, the Fey Alliance

#rattling - headcanons, world building, story thoughts, character questions, commentary. Mostly any original posts that aren't writing.

WIPs

The Zealous Servant - Dark high fantasy with lots of magic, necromancers, gods, and political drama. The main character Spayar needs to help his friend the crown prince kill the entire royal family before they turn around and do the same to him in order to claim the throne. Very queer, and is written for an adult audience not YA.

Entropy - My main fanfic WIP from the Destiny 2 fandom. Follows my OCs on their journey to bully the fuck out of Shin Malphur; resident Worst Guy Ever. Along the way he gets a hot girlfriend and I force him to have some actual friends because his lone wolf shtick is tired and stupid lol.

Lonos [working title] - This is a backburner one I need to really hash out a bit more. So I'll probably be posting a lot of rattlings about this one. Vaguely middle eastern appearance in setting about a traveling circus where all the players are also mercenaries for hire. Post a massive plague that wiped out almost all the magic users on the continent and the ones that are still around are viewed as cursed or unclean. (I swear I had this idea before the panny :,D) Gonna be a big long gay slow burn. For adult audiences.

Witchbane - Another backburner one I need to churn out some rattlings about. Steampunk set in a country called Ravthica where everyone thinks magic isn't real. When Spencer's parents go missing he's got to start believing in magic real quick when the hag that lives on his family's property tells him witches kidnapped his parents and the only way to get them back is to kill them. But witch hunting isn't exactly easy and he needs the help of some Wild things to find the witches that want his family and their witch hunting dogs all dead. For YA audiences.

[mentallyinvernation]

The Haunting of Fawney Rig sounds interesting

Hi! This is my most recent wip! Chapter one is actually up if you want to check it out here:

It's basically a ghost-hunting AU where Hob and Matthew investigate Fawney Rigg, which has been abandoned since the death of Roderick Burgess. There are plenty of shenanigans because when are there not with this duo, plenty of spooks, and a grumpy anthropomorphic personification that's mistaken for a demon.

Have a spooky time snippet:

“There’s a man in the basement,” Hob hesitates to divulge, hands gripping the steering wheel so tight his knuckles pop white, indecision roiling in his gut as he stares out the window back at the manor. “What?” “There’s a man in the basement.” It’s a testimony to how strange a night they’ve both had that the only reaction that gets out of Matthew is a surprised blink. “Okay.” He breathes out slowly, shoulders slumping. “What’s he doing down there?” “Well, he’s just sort of laying in this big glass sphere, really.” “Cool. Good for him. Hate that. Drive. Please drive. I’m begging you to drive.” “Matthew,” He starts, slowly wrenching his gaze over to his friend. “We can’t.” “Why not?” Matthew demands with a mildly hysterical edge to his tone.  “Because there’s a man in the basement.” “Well, he doesn’t belong to us!” “I think he’s trapped down there -” “You know what else is supposed to be trapped in the basement of this house?” Matthew argues. “A -” “Don’t.” Hob holds up a hand. “I get that you're scared but this is serious, Matthew.” “No, Hob, you’re not hearing me. Believe it or not, I’m aware of how serious the situation is. I’m more than fucking aware. There’s some really shady shit going on right now, and despite everything we just went through, I hope to hell and back that the dude you’re referring to is a demon because do you know what it means if he’s not? If he’s just some regular guy? It means someone put him down there. Like recently. That means people are still coming back here to do weird and fucked up shit, and I refuse to get caught up in it. I’m not dying here. If that guy isn’t a demon, we call the fucking cops about it, okay? That’s the play here. We do not go back into the house of horrors.” He says, angrily stuffing his broken flashlight into the trusty duffel bag while shaking his head. “Man in the basement. No. Fuck off. I’m not doing that. Don’t make me do that.” “We can’t just leave him,” Hob says quietly. “You didn’t see him. It was - Christ. It was pitch black down there. I just - I don’t think I’d ever forgive myself if we left without doing anything. I can’t do that. What if he needs medical attention or something?” “Hob, this isn’t our responsibility -” “It is, though. We know he’s down there. We might be the only people who do know about him. That makes us responsible. Look, just - wait here, okay? You don’t have to go back in. I’ll do it. I remember the way, I’ll only be gone a few minutes -” “No,” Matthew interrupts immediately. “No, absolutely not. Fuck that. Splitting up is like the main horror movie no-no.”

[two-sentence-tournament]

okay big post

I've decided to quit trying to keep this tournament going. I know it's been like a whole year since it started, and the last poll was last year, and I've said like 10 times that I could finish it, but I can't. Numbers of factors like school and mental health are these big roadblocks that I can't really get past?? I am okay, just tired and have a lot more things to do than last year. Like I said in a previous post, when I give myself a long project that I'm not 100% into, my brain can sometimes just conk out. So I will not be completing this tournament.

However, if anyone really loved this, please feel free to make another blog and restart the whole thing!!! I loved these awful horror stories so much I made this blog (w/ my friend as well), and I'm sure someone else does too. So, please, remake this if you want!!!! DM me on either this or my main blog if you want because I would LOVE to follow a new tournament!!!

I know not a whole lot of people might care about this right now, but just informing anyone who might have had this in the back of their head, because I certainly would. :]

Have a spooky October, and thank you for all the support!!!!